Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
RETURNING STARTER None OTHER RETURNEES None NEWCOMERS Rocco Becht | R-Sr. Becht was a three-year starter at Iowa State, where he threw for 9,274 yards, with 64 touchdowns and 27 intercep- tions. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound signal- caller also rushed for 499 yards and 19 scores. He enjoyed his best season in 2024 when he completed 59 percent of his attempts for 3,505 yards, with 25 touchdowns and 9 picks in leading the Cyclones to the first 11-win season in program history. Becht was a three-star prospect com- ing out of Wiregrass Ranch High in Wes- ley Chapel, Fla., in 2022, but he vastly outperformed his No. 625 ranking among all prospects nationally and No. 36 rat- ing among quarterbacks, per the Rivals Industry Ranking, which averages the grades of the major recruiting services. He's the No. 42 overall prospect and No. 9 quarterback in On3's transfer portal rankings. Kase Evans | Fr. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Evans had been committed to Iowa State but joined Penn State's class in December. He's the No. 51 quarterback and No. 101 Texas prospect in the 2026 class, per Rivals' scouts. A three-star prospect, he threw for 11,640 yards and 120 touchdowns in four seasons at Lexington (Texas) High. Peyton Falzone | Fr. Falzone rejoined Penn State's 2026 class just ahead of signing day after de- committing from Auburn. A four-star prospect from Nazareth (Pa.) High, he completed 58.2 percent of his career passing attempts for 5,839 yards, with 53 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,347 yards and 26 scores. Falzone is the No. 22 quarterback nation- ally and No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania, per Rivals. Alex Manske | R-Fr. Manske played behind Becht during his true freshman season at Iowa State, having joined the Cyclones as a four-star prospect out of Algona (Iowa) High. The top-ranked player in Iowa State's 2025 re- cruiting class, listed No. 55 overall by On3 and No. 8 among quarterbacks, Manske threw for 4,933 yards and rushed for 1,414 during his high school career. In his lone season in Ames, the 6-3, 225-pound Manske saw ac- tion in three games, completing 4 of 5 passing attempts for 28 yards while also rushing 7 times for 33 yards and a touchdown. He trans- ferred to Penn State on Jan. 4, just minutes after Becht made his an- nouncement. Manske is the No. 79 overall prospect and No. 12 quarterback in On3's transfer portal rankings. 3 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 2026 LOOK AHEAD QUARTERBACK Penn State Welcomes A Quartet Of New Signal-Callers 2026 Outlook All four of Penn State's scholarship quarterbacks from the 2025 season are gone. Drew Allar has exhausted his eligibility, while Ethan Grunkemeyer, Jaxon Smolik and Bekkem Kritza all en- tered the transfer portal in January. Of the potential returnees, the biggest loss by far was Grunkemeyer, who filled in capably during Penn State's final seven games after Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Northwestern on Oct. 11. Grunkemeyer steadily improved throughout the year, finishing with 1,339 yards passing and 8 touchdowns while tossing only 4 interceptions. The Lions would no doubt have loved to keep the former Rivals four-star prospect around for the next couple of years, but there was little chance of that happening with Rocco Becht poised to resume his long working relationship with Matt Campbell. Becht had announced his intention to transfer on Dec. 20, two weeks after Campbell was named head coach at Penn State. He committed to the Lions on Jan. 4. For all the potential that the Virginia Tech-bound Grunkemeyer flashed during his seven starts, Becht likely gives the Lions their best chance to hit the ground running in Year 1 of the Campbell era. He's spent the past three seasons as a starter at Iowa State and has worked extensively with two of the assistants that Campbell has brought to State College — offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters. Becht is recovering from a partially torn labrum in his left (nonthrowing) shoulder that af - fected him during the 2025 season but expects to be healthy again by April. He'll have the second-most career passing yards of any quarterback in the country entering the 2026 season, trailing only incoming Indiana transfer Josh Hoover (9,629). That experience figures to come in handy in the midst of what may be college football's most extensive overhaul in 2026. — Matt Herb Iowa State transfer Rocco Becht has the second-most passing yards of any returning quarterback in the country with 9,274 in four seasons with the Cyclones. PHOTO COURTESY IOWA STATE ATHLETICS